System Error Revised Version
by Sargent Snarky
Summary: What if a System Error occurred when Kite used his bracelet? Does the 'game' truely end there? Or, does Kite find a way to keep fighting? REWRITE! Esp. from chapter 2 on
1. System Error

**System Error (rewrite)**

By Sargent Snarky

_A 'what if' sort of thing…_

Summary: What if a system error occurred when Kite used data drain? This be my hypothetical answer… _Duh. The game is over. But if this were real, what would happen to poor Kite? Needless to say, this'll be pretty grim._

_Oh, and since I've decided, for random reasons of my own, to have this occur during the fight with Macha, I'm altering one thing about the events preceding it: Elk is able to watch the entire battle… He's just on the sidelines. _

_VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I have completely rewritten this story from the second chapter onward. This is because I was not happy with how I'd written it… So, the plotline has changed from how it was going and all of that jazz… _

_Just so you know, this revision brings the story closer to what I had originally intended when I decided to make this more than a one-shot._

_IMPORTANT NOTE: The computer I used to usefor internet access died. Well… not all of it is dead. Just the hard drive. -.- Which is one of several reasons why it's taken me so gosh darn long to post anything. Also, that's why I haven't left anyone reviews in a while, too. Or answered emails. Or… anything. xX -sigh- But, at least I have a legitimate excuse! Which is.. our hard drive ish kaput. Which reminds me… I lost all of my bookmarked sites and a good deal of my documents. –cries- ;; nooooooo! _

_Disclaimer: The only things I own are copies of the games, the anime and the manga of .hack… Oh, and I downloaded the trailer for the new game. And I stole Kite's hat. Otherwise, I own nothing in the way of .hack / franchise…_

_One more little note: SQUEEE! They finally released AI Buster in English! And… I got a copy and read it! So… now I understand a bit more of the backstory of certain things in Legend of the Twilight, especially, not to mention a bit more of how The World actually functions. And what the One Sin event really was! Yay!_

_One final note: I have discovered an anime/manga series that just plain ROCKS! I love it! as much as, if not more than, .hack. S'called Chrono Crusade. –steals Chrono from the anime/manga and hugs him- Such a sweet, cute, little, dangerous, devil demon thing!_

_Chrono: -is choking due to my hug-_

_Me: Hey! You're face now matches your hair! (which is purple)_

_Anyway, on with the story_:

(By the way, I edited this chapter a bit, but otherwise it is the same as my original chapter for the original version of this story.)

(Oh! And if I'm violating the F.F. rules somehow, will you please WARN ME before reporting me so I can take the old version down! Because I am not posting the same story twice… Really! I'm not! Once you read the later chapters of either one, you'll see. I've been reported twice now for things (and had two stories taken down, one of which was a one-shot for FFX/X-2… And I really liked it!) that I didn't honestly realize were not allowed, or that I'd messed up on. And, well, it is particularly irksome because the least someone could have done was email me before reporting me. People /do/ make mistakes, y'know. Aaanyway, I'm particularly fond of this account and would hate to see it banned. Right… Back to the subject: On with the story!)

**Part I – Corruption**

Elk stood pressed against a lump of 'rock' at the edge of the floating island, crimson eyes wide, filled with turbulent emotions as the battle progressed. Half of him wanted to leap in front of the creature that had been Mia and take the blows for her, defend her. Half of him wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, or run away. He'd always been good at running away, especially in the real world. But he could do neither.

His horror, fear, and worry rooted him to the spot, and the boy could only stare in shock, body trembling. In the real world, he barely held onto his controller; his hands shook. In The World, his hands were clenched tightly about his staff. His eyes followed the progress of Kite, Blackrose, Balmung and the sixth phase Macha around the island.

The flurry of attacks delivered by the three warriors (minus Kite on the occasions he stepped back to heal his allies) seemed to barely effect Macha. Despite the players inflicting their strongest attacks, the phase was unfazed. (XD Sorry.. couldn't resist) Elk didn't see how the constant pounding did any good, but who was he to say what would and would not be effective in fighting a phase? After all, Kite and Blackrose were the ones to have fought and defeated the first five phases.

Suddenly, it seemed as though something about Macha had snapped, for she snarled, wincing, the expression upon her face suddenly pained, and somewhat worried. Elk, of course, could neither see nor sense that the protection against data draining had been stripped away from Macha. Only Kite could. Then again, only Kite really needed to.

Speaking of which, the twin blade leapt back, far enough away from the phase that her physical attacks would not reach him. Sheathing his weapons, Kite lifted his right arm above his head for a brief moment, activating the bracelet, before dropping the arm level with Macha and parallel to the ground. For support, his left hand was braced against his right arm.

Only now that the bracelet was activated, its prongs glowing and expanding to form a wide 'wheel', were Elk, Blackrose or Balmung able to see it. The two latter moved out of the way to avoid being caught by the bracelet's deadly powers.

( Kite's POV )

"Data Drain."

I hold my wrist out, the bracelet shifting and expanding. I feel the telltale jerk of the data drain commencing. I have grown used to the twinge of fiery pain lacing my arm, and I do little more than grimace. Static crackles around myself, and around Macha, making my vision distort and scramble just a little through the neuro goggles. The strange, colored ribbons of light and data come shooting out of the bracelet, slamming into the phase with a shattering sound.

Usually, a strange broken, scrambled sphere appears around the object of draining, collapsing upon itself as the remaining data is rewritten. The odd ribbons return to the bracelet, and it, too, collapses upon itself, disappearing from sight, though I know it is still there. Then, depending a bit on luck, and a bit on what I've just drained, either a virus core or a random item will be made of the drained data. If it's a phase, like this one, then a segment of Aura's data is likely to result.

But this time… This time none of that happens…

Sudden burning wrenching pain assails me – pain like nothing I've ever felt before! It feels as though every fiber of my being is on fire. I cannot help but scream in agony. Through an unfocused haze, I am dimly aware of seeing the bracelet go nuts. The normally orderly 'rays' are garbled and twisted, many of them snaking around me, piercing me, binding me, encircling me. Some are still connected to Macha, who, although in pain, has a triumphant gleam in her glowing eyes.

Two words in blood red flicker across my sight: SYSTEM ERROR…

...Damn it! Goodbye World… Goodbye me…

Vaguely, I see the messed up sphere collapse upon Macha, although it looks somehow different than every other time, leaving behind a collection of rocks in the vague shape of the phase. But, the significance of that framework doesn't register as the fire turns to icy needles.

I am unable to move, neither in the game, nor in the real world. The pain, oh! The pain… When will it stop…? God, the pain…

I get the point that I am about to die… Or at least be thrown so far into catalepsy that I'll be as good as dead. So… please, can't the pain end? Can't the shredding of my being as the bracelet to which I am attached destroys itself and me hurry up?

I am no longer aware of the screams tearing from my throat, no longer conscious of my body in the real world – though in a detached sort of way, I know that I am ridged in my desk chair, yet shuddering and screaming – no longer able to comprehend what is happening to me. It feels as though my very being is slowly being shredded, starting first with my physical body, then with my soul… Somewhere in the back of my mind, I hear a cackle of glee… a woman's cackle of glee. Morganna's…?

Once again, I am dimly aware that the bracelet is glowing, active, but the parts jerk, crooked, garbled. As fire is added to the needles once more, electrical sort of blue lightening runs over my body, stemming from the bracelet and dancing around me, taking delight in my agony.

I hear voices as though from underwater. Whose are they? What are they saying? Why… Why can't they make the pain stop?

Oh god… Why won't it stop? Why won't it stop!

Eternity passes in which I know nothing but fire, ice and lightening, each vying for dominance over my senses. Each breath of air sends wracking agony through my body.

I am tired… so tired… Why can't I just sleep? Let the darkness take me… How can my body endure such endless anguish and still exist? Or does it still exist?

Vision blurred almost beyond recognition, I see bits and pieces of data flaking away. I see that the bracelet still exists, albeit in a strangely garbled way. It feels as though two forces are fighting, and my body just happens to be the most convenient epicenter.

The strange, crackling sphere formed about me, I suddenly realize, comes not from the bracelet, but from something else… Something trying to protect me… But what? I… can't remember… I can't… think… too tired…

I am aware of my body collapsing, both in the World and at my desk chair, but I feel neither. I'm caught in the twilight of between, and am swiftly hurtling towards darkness. I 'see' my body lying lifeless upon the ground in the World, and I 'see' my body, my real body, lying upon the carpet, nuero goggles just a few inches away, my glasses also a short distance from my head, probably bent by the fall. A chill numbness settles over me, but it is almost as bad as the pain. No energy. No scrap of life remains within either of my bodies. Yet, something refuses to let me sleep.

Slowly, I am forgetting myself as the numbness spreads. And yet… I recall things. I 'look' at an object in either the real world or in The World and I recollect the name, and perhaps the purpose. I 'see' my mother come running into my room, followed closely by my father. I 'see' Blackrose, Balmung, and Elk gathered around me, trying to heal me with potions and spells, and I know who they are, I think, but… who am I..?

The tangle of voices still seems to come from a great distance away, but I can't muster enough concentration to decipher them… I do not care. It takes too much effort to think, to know, to care. Why can't I sleep? I am so tired…

Finally darkness… The blessed darkness comes…. But… As it falls, somehow… somehow I whisper an apology…

Because… I… failed…

Sleep… Now comes sleep… I can rest…

And yet it is not rest… The two sides… I can still feel them fighting, though I am too far gone, now, to feel the tearing pain… Instead, I dream it.

( Third Person POV )

Balmung and Blackrose watched as Kite initiated the data drain, both of them standing far enough away from Macha so as not to be accidentally hit with one of the after effects, which sometimes followed. Glitches, they supposed. It was still a morbidly fascinating thing to watch their friend employ Data Drain. Still, the two remained ready to go back to attacking the thing that would result from the rewritten data of Macha.

They never knew when the creature would be weak enough for data draining. Only Kite seemed to know when the protection was down and the data drain would be effective. Then again, only Kite had the bracelet, and only Kite's character data had been almost completely rewritten upon the activation of this strangely powerful item.

Blackrose stirred uneasily as the data drain commenced. Something… something wasn't right. No, something was definitely wrong, although she couldn't put her finger on it. Her bad feeling was confirmed when the bracelet suddenly flickered greenish in places, as if it was infected with the data bug, and Kite let out a scream of pain. Not merely a shout as if he'd been burned, or the yelp he used to let out when he was still getting used to the bracelet and its effects. No, this was a scream. A scream of agony.

"Kite!" cried Blackrose, running towards him, Balmung barely a pace behind her.

Elk, too, began to move towards Kite, but stopped when the data drain abruptly broke its hold upon Macha. Surprisingly, the stone framework began to crumble, one section of it glowing softly as it disintegrated. Elk thought he saw a flicker of purple beneath. With another anxious glance at Kite, Elk ran over to the shattering Macha. To Mia.

Meanwhile, Blackrose and Balmung skidded to a halt several feet from Kite for random threads from the bracelet crackled out, striking the ground, or flicking into the air around the boy. A bit of a shell had formed around the twin blade in places, some of the small polygons a sickly green, others blue. Brightly (if strangely) colored ribbons from the bracelet snaked around Kite, binding to him, while others seemed to pass straight through him, and still others jerked wildly about. The bracelet itself was discombobulated at best; its normally orderly ring of polygons was disordered, and the 'prongs' were crooked, many of them bent and some of them broken entirely. It seemed to be disintegrating, consuming itself.

Kite continued to scream, and it was obvious to both Blackrose and Balmung that the twin blade was in great pain, but there was nothing they could do. Blackrose made an attempt at a healing spell, but it had no effect. Instead, lightning-like strands of something began to shoot out from the bracelet, many of them snaking through Kite's body.

"What the hell is happening to him?" cried Blackrose, frantic.

Balmung shook his head. "I… don't…"

However, the question was shortly answered when Helba's voice crackled in their ears. It was fuzzy, and disrupted, but it was still a transmission.

"What (fizzle) going on? (fizzle)" she asked. "A strange (fizzle) of data. Something won't (fizzle) observe."

"It's Kite!" began Blackrose, voice panicked. "When he data drained the phase thing, his bracelet got all messed up, and… and… Can't you hear him…? What can we do! What the hell is wrong with him? Why is the bracelet like that?"

There was silence for a moment (well, silence from Helba, anyway). Then, her reply came back a bit clearer than before, and it sounded genuinely worried. "This is not good. (fizzle) Data corruption. There's been a system error with the bracelet. (fizzle)"

"Wha-? What does that mean?"

"The bracelet malfunctioned due to data corruption. (fizzle) data draining monsters (fizzle) the bracelet and Kite to become infected (fizzle) Now, it's destroying (fizzle)."

"Huh! You mean the Kite's infected with the data bug! What the hell! Helba! Can't you do something?"

" (fizzle) Get him out of (fizzle) back to the Root Town. Hurry, or (fizzle) nothing I can do."

Blackrose looked at Balmung, then at Kite, around whom data and random protrusions from the bracelet crackled. Though now hoarse, the screams still came…

Meanwhile…

The stone had completely disintegrated, and Mia floated there, eyes open, though barely so. Elk caught her in his arms as she drifted towards the ground. He held her gently as she looked up weakly.

"Elk," she whispered. "Tell Kite… Thank you…"

"Mia! Mia, no! You can't die. You can tell him yourself!"

Mia smiled faintly. "Elk…"

"Mia!" Elk clutched her tightly, tears welling in his eyes. He cast the strongest healing spell on her, and it seemed to help just a little, but not enough.

Her golden eyes glimmered, then slid past Elk towards Kite, widening somewhat. She shook her head weakly, as if in denial. "No…" she whispered.

Elk glanced back at Kite, and his eyes, too, widened. "What… what's happening?"

Mia murmured, "The corruption… The bracelet… It's killing itself, and Kite."

"What? Mia! Don't go!"

Her eyelids slid shut. "Elk… Good bye… Go… go help Kite."

"Mia!"

But she was gone. Elk fell to his knees, still holding Mia. He gasped through his tears as her body suddenly became small golden lights, which pressed closely to Elk, before drifting into the air and vanishing. He stared at where the motes had been for a long moment before shakily getting to his feet.

The wavemaster had just turned back towards Kite when the twin blade's muscles seemed to finally unlock, and he collapsed upon the ground, screams dying with a low moan. The last sound he made was a nearly inaudible murmur, but they could not catch the words.

The strange shell and the bracelet shattered, leaving the twin blade lying in a rather disturbing state upon the ground. His digital body was covered in raw data patches, much like those adorning the corrupted fields, and in places, there seemed to be jagged gashes, as if the data there had been torn away. One such empty bit, fringed with bits of raw data, formed a gouge in Kite's shoulder. Another area was upon his face, part of his jawbone and cheek upon the left side. More 'missing areas' were scattered about his frame, including a rather large one in his side, but all of them need not be described.

Blackrose left out a soft sob as she ran over to the boy, falling to her knees beside him. "Kite," she moaned. "Oh… Kite…"

As Elk and Balmung stood over her and Kite, Elk noticed that Kite's eyes were not closed. Rather, they were wide, the pupils dilated and staring straight ahead at nothing, and they were empty. Lifeless. It frightened him that a gaze could be so… vacant. Elk knew that Kite was still alive (or at least his avatar was) by virtue of the twin blade's ragged breathing, but…

Blackrose lifted and held Kite's hand, despite the raw, ragged data patch ringing his wrist, and creeping up the hand. Kite didn't respond. He didn't even twitch. The heavy blade, her garnet eyes brimming with tears even in The World, looked up at Balmung and Elk. Balmung nodded, murmuring something about following Helba's instructions. Then, the three of them warped out, bringing Kite with them. They reappeared at the chaos gate of the net slum root town.

Helba was there, her expression one of true concern. Lios was there, too, looking horrified and somewhat guilty, though the situation was hardly his fault. In the real world, he looked at his scans of the area  (Omega) Cruel Vindictive Scars, and he noted that the surge of data had not yet returned there. Instead, it was undetectable. Something told him, however, not to stop watching that area.

Other players who were Kite's friends and allies gathered around the chaos gate, too, minus a few who could not be there, such as Gardenia, Mistral and Nuke. Some of them were grouped together, talking softly, but they all fell silent and turned towards the newly arrived.

Blackrose's soft sobbing was the only sound for a long moment in which Helba, Lios, and most of the players stared at Kite. Then, Balmung broke the silence.

"Helba, Lios," he said, voice taut. "Is… is there anything you can do?"

Though he seemed to remain cool and collected, albeit tense, his eyes held great worry, fear and pleading. Lios shook his head.

"I… don't…" he began, but fell silent, unsure what he _could_ say.

Helba seemed to be studying something, probably a data analysis. She shook her head, then said, "No… Not much, anyway… He's beyond help… It's highly unlikely Kite will recover, though not impossible. The chance is, however, slim. If Aura was here and unhindered by Morganna, then she would be able to help, but… she isn't."

Blackrose let out a soft moan, and her sobbing increased.

"Wha… what the hell happened to him?" stammered Marlo. The normally freaky 'tough' guy's eyes were wide, his expression shocked.

"System error," explained Helba with a sigh. "You all know about the bracelet Kite possesses, and its ability to data drain, so I need not explain that. However, the nature of the data drain is such that the wielder absorbs a fair part of whatever data is rewritten. For Morganna's phases, they absorb the energy, power and assorted other things from the players and their character data. Kite, on the other hand, absorbs merely some of the data. Most of what is absorbs is rewritten into an item, by virtue of modifications made by Aura.

"Nevertheless, some of it enters Kites' character data. Sometimes, this excess data includes part of the corruption. Given time, the safeguards Aura gave to Kite work to eliminate the harmful and unnecessary data. However, when Kite data drains many things in a row, especially things with high corruption rates, corrupted data builds within his data, and spreads some of the corruption as well. Kite is continuously infected, as it were.

"Those of you with him when he's data drained things might have noticed that random glitches occur on occasion. These are generally a result of the excess data. But, as Kite's infection rate rises, the glitches become more frequent and generally worse because Aura's safeguards try to prevent too much corrupted data from being absorbed. Therefore, there is more excess data to cause problems.

"Apparently, when Kite data drained Macha, his infection rate was already extremely high, whether from a lot of data draining, or from something else, I do not know. Anyway, the data drained from Macha was enough to completely corrupt Kite's data, and the data of the bracelet. Therefore, it malfunctioned. It… broke… And it began to consume itself. Since Kite is its bearer, he too would be destroyed."

"But… why isn't he destroyed, then?" asked Elk. "He's still alive…"

"Aura. Aura's safeguards and protection," said Helba. "The book that became the bracelet completely rewrote Kite's character data, as Blackrose and Balmung were witness to. And when it did so, it layered protections on Kite. It's because of those protections that this pigheaded fool" – she gestured to Lios – "could never delete Kite. It is also because of the protections and additions that Kite couldn't be data drained, either. Data drain could be executed on him, but it would have little effect other than damaging him, and maybe inflicting status ailments. You might have noticed in battles with the phases that, although they might use their ability to data drain upon one of you, you wouldn't fall into comas. Aura managed to somehow extend that protection to anyone in Kite's party it seemed. Anyway, this protection against deletion or data draining is all that keeps Kite from dying, or, more likely, falling so deeply into a coma that no chance of awakening. The remnants of the bracelet (probably aided by Morganna) are still trying to delete themselves and Kite. The protection Aura gave to him is fighting against that, trying to bring him back. As long as neither side gains any leeway, Kite will remain like this."

"So, why can't you design some program to help Aura's protections?" asked Lios.

Helba frowned. "I never said I couldn't. I could, but it's extremely risky. The program might help, and might bring Kite back to us, or it might have no effect. Or, worst case scenario, it unbalances the sides, allowing for complete deletion."

"You've got to try!" said Balmung and Blackrose at the same time.

"Yeah!" agreed Marlo.

"You must," said Wiseman.

Rachel, Terajima Ryoko, Moonstone, Sanjuro, Natsume, and Elk all voiced their concurrence, as well.

"He hasn't given up on us, so we shouldn't give up on him," stated Blackrose.

Helba smiled faintly. "How did I know you'd say something like that?"

* * *

Author's Notes:

Do note that I am also posting Chapter 2 and possibly Chapter 3 of my rewritten stuff. Chapter 4 is about a third to a half done, and it is likely to remain that why for a while, as School is starting quite soon.

But, I know, I know... this chapter is pretty much the same as chapter 1 for the original version. The reason is because the first chapter is the only one I liked.


	2. Deeper

**System Error (rewrite)**

By Sargent Snarky

_A 'what if' sort of thing…_

Summary: What if a system error occurred when Kite used data drain? This be my hypothetical answer… _Duh. The game is over. But if this were real, what would happen to poor Kite? Needless to say, this'll be pretty grim._

_VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I have completely rewritten this story from the second chapter onward. This is because I was not happy with how I'd written it… So, the plotline has changed from how it was going and all of that jazz… _

_Just so you know, this revision brings the story closer to what I had originally intended when I decided to make this more than a one-shot._

_Disclaimer: The only things I own are copies of the games, the anime and the manga of .hack… Oh, and I downloaded the trailer for the new game. And I stole Kite's hat. Otherwise, I own nothing in the way of .hack / franchise…_

**Part II - Deeper**

(Kite POV)

I'm floating… floating… eternally floating. Floating in a thick liquid of darkness. I open my eyes and see… nothing. But then, a fleeting vision, an impression of actions and events passes before my eyes. I am, at some level, aware that what I see exists only n my mind, in my psyche, but at the same time, at another level, this is real.

Somehow, I know this isn't death. I'm not dead. But I'm as good as dead… Distantly I wonder why I'm not dead. By rights, I ought to be…

But that thought drifts on as I watch the nothing. And then I wonder: _Who am I?_

That question becomes the fixation of all my thought as I struggle to find the answer. However, concentrating is difficult, and concentrating upon a specific chain of thought is even more so. An eternity passes, or maybe only a moment. Nevertheless, it seems like forever. And in that time, I just cannot find the answer… Only more questions…

Who am I? _What_ am I? Why am I… like this? What _is_ this?

Eventually, I give up trying to figure out for now and simply drift in this state of semi-existence. Then, an idea… I am in a non-place. A place neither here nor there… neither inside nor outside. A place in between.

But, that only gives rise to new questions.

Where was I before? Where is inside, and where is outside? How can I get to here or there?

(Third Person P.O.V. – a hacker's basement)

Helba worked as swiftly as she dared in constructing the program to aid Kite. Time was of the essence, not only for just Kite, but for The World. With the seventh phase on its way, to be followed by the eighth… The World was in chaos. Data corruption was everywhere. Even in the rest of the world, across the networks, things were not going well.

The generic _they_ blamed it upon hackers, such as Helba. But Helba, of course, knew better. And now all hopes to salvage The World, to rescue the players lost to The World, and, of course, to save Kite rested upon Helba's shoulders. Therefore, though it was so late that one could call it morning, and though she'd had no sleep, she worked ceaselessly.

Two glasses rested next to one of her many keyboards. One cup – more of a mug than anything else – held a black liquid known the world over as coffee. The smaller one – a shot glass – held vodka. An odd combination, certainly, but Helba was entitled to her idiosyncrasies, and the vodka relaxed her, while the caffeine in the coffee helped her to maintain concentration.

She stared at the just completed program, written out partially in programming languages designed especially for the web, but mostly in the specific data language of The World. Part of it was like a virus itself, part like a firewall, part a 'seek-and-destroy' program for cleaning out data corruption, and the rest a hodgepodge of her own creation. She desperately hoped it would work. If it didn't…

She stopped that train of thought before it got anywhere. The only time despair was acceptable was when there was _no_ hope whatsoever. And the only way there was never any hope was when one was pessimistic. Helba could not afford to be pessimistic. Realistic, yes, but not pessimistic.

The woman removed her glasses, rubbing both the bridge of her nose and her eyes. Then, she downed the shot of vodka, letting its container clank back to the table as she replaced the spectacles over her eyes. She could have worn contacts, yes, but she preferred glasses. They didn't dry out her eyes, and she didn't need dry eyes, considering the amount of time she spent staring at one of many monitors.

As she moved, her joints cracked, and she let out a sigh. The woman was about to stand up to stretch a little, just to relieve some of the tenseness in her muscles, but a soft chime from another monitor stole her attention. An email. But from whom…?

(Third Person P.O.V. – Omega Server, The World)

Kite's digital body had been moved from the main streets of the Net Slum version of Lia Fail to a building Helba had created based on the programming for a 'hide-out' (a rare item 'room' where one could hang out and/or store more items). One could only access it if one had permission, so privacy was ensured. Although it was nearing two A.M., players still ran hither and thither in the streets, some from countries where it was afternoon or late morning, others merely night owls.

However, for Blackrose and Balmung, it was truly 2 A.M. and they were quite tired. Blackrose wasn't even supposed to be on now, but her parents were asleep, so they didn't notice. However, both players knew that neither of them would have been able to get any sleep this night/morning anyway. They sat alone with Kite in the small room.

The place had been furnished sparsely, though several rugs covered the floor. Kite's body rested upon a cot against the wall. Other than the cot, the only furniture was a table and two chairs in the center of the room. Blackrose sat upon one chair, head upon arms upon the table. Her garnet eyes were riveted upon Kite. Balmung, however, stood, leaning against the wall by the door, his eyes staring at the floor, arms crossed across his chest.

The two had kept their constant vigil, not leaving Kite's side since… the incident around eight hours ago. Other friends had come and gone, but the only one who'd stayed more than a half an hour (Besides Elk, who had left after two hours due to a nagging parent) was Moonstone. He had stood by the wall, silent for three hours. Then, he had spoken the most Blackrose or Balmung had ever heard him say.

"Kite is an excellent friend. Please heal. I cannot stay."

And then Moonstone had left, with Blackrose and Balmung staring after him. That had been two hours ago. Blackrose had left briefly, though she stayed logged in, to make herself some tea. And Balmung had done the same, save for, in his case, he snagged some soda.

Throughout this time, Kite had not stirred once. His breathing remained shallow and ragged, and he did not even blink. He seemed to be in a trance, or at least sleeping with his eyes open. The dead-eyed gaze frightened Blackrose more than she'd say. She'd grown so used to his bright, cerulean eyes full of hope and energy. To see them dull and dim was jarring.

Despite her lack of sleepiness, Blackrose found herself nodding off when finally the boy stirred. Kite didn't do much, but he moaned softly, whispering something inarticulate. Both Blackrose and Balmung snapped their attentions to the twin blade. Kite shivered, and groaned once more.

"I… think he's dreaming," said Blackrose, looking at Balmung. "That's a good sign, isn't it? Isn't it!"

Balmung looked unsure. "I… do not know."

Blackrose sighed, turning back to Kite. His lips moved, forming one word. Then, a few moments later, another. Finally, he croaked out the words "Who… am I?"

( Kite's P.O.V.)

After a while, I can no longer keep my concentration upon my questions, and I all but forget them. Having nothing much else to occupy me, I drift into a sort of sleep. That is the only word that comes to me. The only word I can think of to describe it, but it doesn't quite fit.

It's rather strange that I can think of words, but I can't think of the name that is mine. Was mine. A name is merely a word to describe a thing? Or is it to define? Or… does a name become the thing it is? Could that be why I don't know mine? I cannot think of what I was, so I cannot think of what my name was. Is that the answer?

How I wish I knew… But, sleep, such as it is, takes me.

( Third Person P.O.V. – a hacker's basement)

Unfortunately, the email was extremely garbled, with only a few words coming through. But, that wasn't much of a problem for Helba. She ran it through a scanner program she developed to reconstruct corrupted text. After a minute or so, the message was clarified as much as possible. Helba's eyes skimmed swiftly through; it wasn't lengthy. However, it was from Aura, and that made it important. The message read as such (or at least this is what Helba was able to reconstruct of the garbled text):

" I --- help, maybe. ----- beware -- Cubia. Bring Kite --  Cruel Vindictive Scars. Hurry!"

A thoughtful expression on her face, Helba logged into The World and entered the room where Kite lay.

( (Omega) Server, The World )

"How would you two like to go out and do something that might help Kite?" asked Helba by way of greeting.

Blackrose and Balmung looked up with hopeful interest. Helba took that as an affirmative, so she continued, "Aura has sent me an email saying that she might be able to help. She asked that we bring Kite to  Cruel Vindictive Scars. However, she also warned of Cubia, though I am unsure of whether it will actually make an appearance. It may, so you had best be cautious."

"What about your program?" asked Balmung.

"I think it would be best to see what Aura can do, first. Besides, I've only just finished it, and I need to check it for possible bugs."

"Let's go," said Blackrose, standing up. "You aren't coming with us, correct?"

Helba nodded. "I am not going with you. However, you do need to take Kite with you. Therefore, it may be wise for you two to also call in a third party member to aid you. Kite doesn't need to actually be in your party for you to take him."

"I'll call Wiseman," stated Balmung. "If he's on, then a wavemaster would be very useful."

"All right." Blackrose sighed and stepped over to Kite. She bent down next to him and put a hand on his arm. As usual, he made no response, or did he? The heavy blade was almost sure that she had seen his hand twitch. But, since he made no further movement, she discounted it. However, she did murmur, "Hear that, Kite? We're taking you to Aura…"

"Wiseman has just gotten on," said Balmung. "Heh. We've lucked out. He says he has insomnia, so he might as well accompany us. Our company will be so dull, he goes on, that it ought to work better than a sleeping draft."

Blackrose frowned, blinking over her shoulder at the blademaster. "Oh, that's so nice. At least it shouldn't be too difficult this time, as we've been down that dungeon before."

"You and Wiseman have. I haven't," said Balmung.

"I'll take my leave now," interjected Helba, bowing and then disappearing amid three golden rings.


	3. Awakening

**System Error (rewrite)**

By Sargent Snarky

_A 'what if' sort of thing…_

Summary: What if a system error occurred when Kite used data drain? This be my hypothetical answer… _Duh. The game is over. But if this were real, what would happen to poor Kite? Needless to say, this'll be pretty grim._

_VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I have completely rewritten this story from the second chapter onward. This is because I was not happy with how I'd written it… So, the plotline has changed from how it was going and all of that jazz… _

_Just so you know, this revision brings the story closer to what I had originally intended when I decided to make this more than a one-shot._

_Disclaimer: The only things I own are copies of the games, the anime and the manga of .hack… Oh, and I downloaded the trailer for the new game. And I stole Kite's hat. Otherwise, I own nothing in the way of .hack / franchise…_

**Part III – Awakening**

( Kite's P.O.V. )

Sleeping. I am sleeping. Sleeping as if I were dead.

But in my slumber, a voice whispers gently to me, supplicating… but for what? It takes me a while, but I manage to concentrate enough to hear that voice…. Whoever it is.

"Please… Wake up!"

Aura. Somehow I am able to put a name to this voice. Yet, I still cannot put a name to myself.

She continued, "You must come back to us. Please, wake up."

I feel a warm touch… her touch. And I find myself slipping away from this place, this 'in between', and I find myself falling into… somewhere else.

( Third Person P.O.V. –  Cruel Vindictive Scars )

Blackrose, Wiseman and Balmung, with the former most and the latter most alternating carrying Kite, had finally reached the bottom floor of the dungeon. They rested in the room where the stairs were, letting their SP gauges fill up and healing themselves. The trio also took the time to cast more strengthening spells. After all, one was never sure quite what one would face next.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Yup."

"All right. Let's go, then. Only a little more, and then we'll be there."

"Why can't Aura or the phases or data bugs ever lurk in the first room on the top floor?"

"Because."

"That's not a good enough answer."

"Well, why don't you ask them?"

"Because Aura's always cryptic, and she doesn't stick around long enough to answer things, and the phases aren't very conversational. Furthermore, the data bugs can't talk."

"…"

"What? I'm just explaining why I can't ask them."

"Oh shut up and fight the monster."

"Nyah."

"Sticking your tongue out at someone is rather childish, don't you think? But, how'd you manage to get your avatar to do that?"

"Hehe. My little secret."

"You just have to type in a very short code to get your avatar to mime certain actions. However, basic emotions can be projected into the avatar based on sound. When you laugh, the programming picks up on that fact and makes your avatar laugh… Phal Repth! … It's really quite ingenious, actually."

"Thank you, ooph, Wiseman. And you thought _our_ company would be dull.."

"Nyah!"

"Hey! That's my trick. Not fair."

"Heh. I can do a lot with my avatar."

"What the hell? What is the point of making your avatar do the Macaroni?"

"It's Macarena."

"Whatever."

"And there is no point. A friend of mine gave me an action code for it as a joke."

"… You are such a geek."

"Then you'd better be nice to me. I might end up as your boss some day."

"…"

"Hey, look at your maps, people. Through that doorway there is where Aura will probably be. So, quit yakking and come on."

And so, the conversation broke off, and the trio bearing Kite entered the large square chamber. Aura stood… er… floated in the middle. Something about her didn't seem quite complete, but neither Blackrose nor Balmung could put a finger on it. Wiseman, too, would have been hard pressed to name it. He could tell you _why_, but he couldn't tell you what about her it was.

When they drew nearer to her, something red-tinged white and glowing brightly detached itself from Kite. It just kind of popped out of him, as it were, then floated over to Aura, phasing into her body. However, though the feeling was less strong, the sense that she wasn't quite complete remained.

"What was that?" asked Balmung, gazing from Kite, whom he was carrying, to Aura.

"A segment of my data," replied Aura, her voice soft and sad. "Segments of me reside in each of the phases, and when Kite data drains a phase, the bracelet separates my data from them. And then, when he can, he brings the segments back to me. When they are near me, though, they rejoin me."

"So.. Can you do anything for Kite?" asked Blackrose, her tone anxious.

Aura gazed at the catatonic boy. "I.. am not sure. I must see how far he is gone."

She moved to Balmung and Kite. At a gesture, the bladesmaster set his friend upon the ground and stepped back. Aura knelt, putting a hand on Kite's shoulder. Quietly, she called to him, begging him to awaken. At first there was no response, but then he stirred…

Aura bent over him, and, though she could not quite tell, Blackrose was certain that the AI had kissed him. Jealous outrage welled up in Blackrose, and she was about to give Aura a piece of her mind when Kite actually did something. His eyes closed, then opened as Aura drew away. And they (the eyes) were no longer vacant; they held awareness, though their usual sparkle was still deficient.

"I've isolated the infection for now. And, I've called him back from… in between," said Aura.

"In between?" queried Balmung.

"Not the outside, but not the inside," said Aura, as if that should explain everything. "But… I… am not sure how far the damage extends, though the bracelet is all but destroyed, and his character data is irreparably damaged." She shook her head. "As it is, what I have done is not permanent. Unless some other way can be found, the protections will be lost, and Kite will be lost."

"How much time do we have?" asked Balmung.

"I… do not know."

The twin blade looked up at Aura, and then sat up, slowly. As he did so, he winced and clutched as his head for a moment before looking around. Slight recognition flickered in his gaze, but he seemed confused. He stared into the distance without really seeing it. Then, Kite shook his head and looked down at himself.

"Kite?" quavered Blackrose.

He blinked, tilting his head to one side as he looked at her. "Is… is that who I am? Kite…"

Blackrose stared at him, and so did Balmung. Wiseman frowned, and then spoke.

"Yes. Your name is Kite. Don't you remember?"

The twin blade seemed to be straining to recall. After a moment, though, he looked at Wiseman and shook his head. "No," he began to say, but he broke off, wincing and clutching at his head.

Blackrose, glancing once at Aura, who had stiffened and closed her eyes, stepped forward and knelt next to Kite. "Kite… are you all right? What's the matter?"

He didn't reply right away, instead staggering to his feet. Then, he looked at Blackrose, who had stood up at the same time.But, Aura suddenly cried out, "Please! You must leave… all of you!"

"Wha-? Why?" asked Blackrose.

"Cubia!"

(wooo! Even shorter! But… If I didn't end it here, then this chapter would be a whole lot longer… and I haven't finished the next segment yet) 


End file.
